bayer



July 17, 1934. J, BAYER 1,966,703

BOILER CLEANER Filed Jan. 14, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l /AA/A/roe: EO L BA WSR.

July 17, 1934. l.. J. BAYER BOILER CLEANER Filed Jan. 14. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 hixtatenteozl `uly 17, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT ortsior.

2 Claims.

My invention has relation to improvements in boiler cleaners, and is directed more particularly to that type of boiler cleaner comprising a blower element to traverse a bank of boiler tubes and 5 an operating head therefor adapted to be mounted on the boiler wall.

This invention is a modication of that shown in my copending application, Serial No. 569,168, filed October 16, 1931, and like the invention ren l ferred to has a control valve carried in the outer end of the blower tube, said control valve being rotatable with the tube and being actuated by the same means that actuate the tube. The present structure differs from the other, however, in that i instead of employing a slide valve, a poppet type of valve is employed in which is embodied a pilot valve for balancing the main valve by equalization of the steam pressure on both sides thereof. By embodying the valve in the blower tube and by arranging the parts so that a single operating means will actuate both valve and tube, an eX- ceedingly compact structure is provided having but few operating parts. At the same time, all of the operating parts are conned within a hous` ing to which access may be had by merely removing a cover plate for the purpose of lubrication or repair.

In this invention the desirable feature of hav-- ing the valve and blower tube independently operable is retained through a construction that is further rened and simplified. All of these advantages, as well as others inherent in the invention, will be better apparent from a detailed description of the same in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

' Figure 1 shows my improved boiler cleaner in side elevation mounted for use in a boiler, parts of which are shown in section; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of my improved boiler cleaner; Fig. 3

is a vertical cross-section taken through the operating head of the boiler cleaner on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through the boiler cleaner taken on the line 1 -4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a horizontal longitudinal section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1

with approximately one half of the boiler cleaner head broken away; Fig. 6 is a detached plan View of the bell-crank lever connection between the control valve and operating gear; and Fig. '7

is a front elevation of the boiler cleaner showing a modification of the actuating means of the valve and blower tube.

Referring to the drawings, B represents a boiler provided with water tubes T on which the blower element, or tube, 1 is rotatably mounted bylneans of suitable hangers 2. The operating head H of the boiler cleaner is supported on the outside of the wall W by means of a bracket 3 bolted to the outside ilange of a sleeve 5 xed in the opening O in the wall W. head is yieldingly supported from the bracket 3 by vertically aligned studs 6, 6 projecting from housing '7 of the head H, said studs traversing openings 8, 8' in lugs 9, 9 respectively.V A coiled spring lo disposed on stud 6 between housing 'I and lug 9 insures a resilient, or yielding, connection between the operating head and bracket 3. The parts thus far described are old in the art and do not in themselves constitute a part of the present invention, which is more particularly concerned with the operating head H and the inner end of the blower tube l, which has connection therewith.

By referring to Figs. 4 and 5, it will be see that'the outer end of the blower tube 1 traverses a stuing box 11, formed on the inner end of housing 7, and has screw threaded connection with a valve casing 12 mounted within housing 7. The casing 12 has a boss 13 projecting from its front wall 12', said boss being rotatably mounted in a socket 14, formed in cover plate 15, Xed to the front of housing '7 by a series of marginal bolts 16. `From what has just been said, it is clear that the valve casing `12 and blower tube 1 operate integrally and have substantial bearing in the housing '7. Within valve casing 12 a cylindrical valve guide 17 is formed in which the inner end 18 of valve 19 operates, said valve 19 being adapted to close on a valve seat 20, formed as a separate element, screwl threaded into casing 12 opposite to the cylindrical guide 17. The valve 19 has a hollow stem 21, through which passes stem 22 of a pilot valve 23 whose seat 24 is formed on the outer surface of valve 19. The stem 22 of the pilot valve is smaller than the passage-way through stem 21 of the main valve to allow for the flow of steam around the stem 22. The upper part 22 of the stem 22 traverses the hub of a spider 25 formed in the inner end 18 of the valve 19, andv is pro- The operating loc vided with screw threads so that a nut 26 may be adjustably placed thereon, the function of said nut being to impinge on the spider 25 to unseat the valve 19 after the pilot valve 23 has been opened. The depressing of stem 22 to effect an opening of the pilot valve 23 is accomplished by a bell-crank lever 27 mounted on the closed end of casing 12. Said bell-crank lever has a bifurcated lever arm 27 having a pin and slot connection with the adjacent end of valve stem 22 and a single lever arm 28 having an oval shaped head 29 formed on its outer end which is disposed in a recess 30 formed in the inside of the gear ring 31 mounted for partial rotation on the arcuate bearing brackets 32, 32 projecting from opposite sides of valve casing 12. Brackets 32, 32 are formed with peripheral flanges 33, 33 respectively which serve to conne the gear ring 31 on one side and arcuate plates 34, 34 are bolted to the brackets opposite flanges 33, 33 to hold the gear ring 31 in place. Thus, the gear ring 31 is rotatable on the brackets 32, 32', but

the amount of rotation is limited by a lug 35V extending outwardly from the periphery of the bracket 32 into a recess 36 formed on the inner surface oi gear ring 3l. The length of recess 36 is sufficiently longer than the length of lug 35 to allow the gear ring 31 to be rotated through an arc of such length that the bell-crank lever 27 will be rocked to depress the pilot valve `23 and also unseat the control valve 19. By the time the control valve 19 is opened to the extent shown by the dotted position shown in Fig. 3 the end of recess 36 that previously had been spaced from the lug 35 will impinge on said lug so as to arrest any further relative movement between gear ring 31 and the bracket 32. However, if the rota tion of the gear 31 is continued the valve casing 12 will rotate with it and, of course, the blower tube 1 will also rotate in its bearings.

A drive shaft 37 is mounted in the upper part oi housing 7 in a bearing 38 io-rined in the housing wall andl in an opening 39 formed in the cover plate 15, said shaft having a pinion 40 formed Aon that part which is in the housing 'l and having a pulley 41 fixed .to its outer end, over which an operating chain 42 is passed. The pinion 40 is in mesh with the ring gear 31 and when the operator pulls on the chain 42 the pinion and, of course, the gear 3l will be rotated. If the operator rotates the pulley 41 in a clockwise direction the gear 31 will be rotated in a counter clockwise direction in the bearings 32, 32' until the end of recess 36 impinges on the lug 35. During this partial rotation of the gear 31 the bell-crank lever 27 will be rocked (on account of its connection with the gear 31) to depress stern. 22 of the pilot valve and open said valve, allowing steam to pass through the hollow stein 21 intoy the valve casing 12 behind the inner end 18 of the control'valve. This equalizes the steam .pressure on both sides of valve 19 so that the valve is easily unseated when the nut 26 engages the hub of spider 25. Thus, during the rotation of the gear 31'in its bearings 32, 32', which are oarred by the valve casing 12, the pilot valve i23 andthe control valve 19 are opened. If the operator now continues to rotate the pulley 4l in a clockwise direction the gear 31 will, of course, be further rotated but will carry with it in its continued rotation the valve casing 12 and blower tube 1 connected thereto.V Of course, if the operator desires to open the valve but not to rotate the blower tube l he will not continue to actuate the pulley 41 after the end of recess 36 impi'nges' on the lug 35.

From the position of rest, during which both the pilot and control Valves are closed, (shown in Fig. 3) the operator may rotate the blower tube 1 without opening the valve by rotating the pulley 41 in a counter clockwise direction, which, of course, will rotate the gear 31'A in a clockwise direction, said gear carrying with it in its rotation the valve housing 'I and blower tube l, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The housing 7 has a Steam inlet 43 at the bottom of its cylindrical wall, said inlet terminating in a flange 44 for connection with flange 45 of the steam supply pipe 46 so that the steam enters freely into the housing 'l from the source of supply.

In the ordinary operation of blowing soot from the boiler tubes T the operator manipulates the chain 42 so as to rotate the pulley 41 continuously in a clockwise direction, which, as we have 9 seen, actuates the gear 31 to first open the valves, after which, while the valves remain open, the blower tube l is rotated causing steam to issue from the nozzles n thereof and clean the tubes by the force of the steam prolonged through any 10U desired blowing arc.

1n Fig 7 I show a modification o1" the invention in which a worm 50 replaces the pinion 40 and a worin wheel 51 replaces the gear ring 31, all other parts remaining the saine. However, in making this change the driving shaft 52 must be transposed so that it extends at right angles to the position of shaft 38 of the main forin.

Having described rny invention, I claim:

1. A boiler cleaner comprising a rotatable blower tube and an operating head therefor, a steam supply pipe connected to the head and adapted for communication with the tube, a valve casing carried on the end of the tube adjacent to the supply pipe, a valve in said casing, a gear wheel 115 mounted on said casing and having partial rotation relative thereto, connecting elements between the valve and gear wheel for operating said valve during such partial rotation, cooperating elements on said gear wheel and casing for coupling them together after said relative rotation, a driving pinion for said gear, and means for rotating said pinion.

2. A boiler cleaner comprising a blower tube and an operating head therefor, a steam supply 125 pipe connected to the head and adapted for communication with said tube, said head comprising a housing, a valve casing in the housing and mounted on the end of the tube, said casing adapted for communication with the supply pipe, a valve in said casing, a gear mounted for partial revolution on said casing, connections between said gear and valve for operating the latter during such partial revolution, cooperating elements for coupling the gear and the valve casing after said partial revolution, and means for revolving the gear.

LEO J. BAYER. 

